The Herbal Medicine Encyclopedia

There are books one writes with the mind, and then there are books one writes with the whole of one's life — this is the latter. Every page of this encyclopedia carries with it the scent of dried lavender hung in bundles from my kitchen rafters, the memory of my grandmother's roughened hands crushing rosemary between her fingers, and the long, quiet afternoons I have spent in my cottage garden learning what the plants themselves seemed always willing to teach. It is my deepest hope that you will find within these pages not merely information, but companionship — the kind that only a well-loved herb garden, tended faithfully through the seasons, can offer. ---

This is the book I always meant to write. For decades my remedies lived in scattered notebooks and the shelves of my apothecary, known only to me and those who came to my door. Here at last they are gathered — herb by herb, from lavender to yarrow — with everything I know of their virtues, their harvesting, and the teas, tinctures, salves and poultices they become. It is a reference to keep for a lifetime, and to pass on when your own hands grow tired.

— Agnes